Notes / Commercial Description:
Cherry pie! Cherry pie! Cherry pie! This light and fruity ale is black in color, though your palate would never know it. Black Angel is fermented on the Wicked Wild yeast and then moved into stripped down Four Roses bourbon barrels and aged on tart cherries, sweet cherries, and Italian plums. The white oak and roast malt add notes of vanilla and graham cracker that, when blended with the tart sweetness of the fruit, bring out a robust cherry pie flavor.

Reviews by joe1510:

Big ups to Wilson for this bottle! Black Angel is, in fact, pretty damn black. I didn't expect to see it but the fizzy head was actually chocolate milk brown on the pour before crackling down to a respectable ring around the glass. Silky lacing remains briefly after each gulp before sliding back into the body.

Musty attic wafts from the glass immediately. The barrel is certainly noticeable but not overdone, a little damp and earthy. The cherries are rather faint but what is there seems to be of the sour variety. The malt profile tends to be a bit bready with a tinge of acetic acid. The funkiness and barrel notes are both nice, I'd like to come across some more cherries though.

The flavor profile opens up much more than the aroma led me to believe. Cherries are bright and spritzy upfront before being met by a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar. It has a puckering tartness but also that Sweet Tart sweetness. The barrel aging has added that unique mustiness I mentioned in the nose along with leathery earthiness. The sweet and sour play well. The tartness digs at the sides of the tongue. Depth is good and the overall profile is unique.

The body is light and the carbonation spritzy.The mouthfeel is near luxuriant with a feel bordering frothy. Tart grabs the side of the tongue and back of the throat that tends to linger after the dry, tannic finish. Certainly a quenching beer and highly drinkable.

I've had two of the barrel project beers from Wicked Weed and while both styles have been done numerous times in the past by numerous brewers, Wicked Weeds versions were both very unique and very delicious. Black Angel is spritzy, tart, complex, and flat out good! Thanks again Wil! Good shit, mang!

More User Reviews:

A: Pours a clear yet almost opaque black in color with minimal amounts of visible carbonation and some dark cola brown + crimson red highlights. The beer has a very thin beige head that completely disappears quickly. No lacing is observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of tart cherries with some lighter aromas of vanilla and oak.

T: The flavors of this beer are primarily those of tart to borderline sour cherries. There are lighter flavors of oak and vanilla that almost brings out some vinous notes.

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a snifter, the beer is a dark, opaque, brown coloring with a thin halo of white head. Aromas of spicy and charred wood, tart cherries, earthy notes, and a candy sweetness. Flavors are tart and crisp forward, with a solid grape and cherry blend of fruit sweetness, and a charred and slightly bitter backbone. Earthy and woody notes help round out the palate nicely. Smooth, light bodied, with a crispness throughout. Fruity notes linger, with a sharp spice and bitterness in the aftertaste. Crisp, tart, slightly puckering finish. Good beer!

L - Pours a thinnish looking black body with reddish/brownish highlights. A short finger of off-white head lingers briefly falling to a surface layer of bubbles and a ring around the edge of the glass.

S - Bready, caramelly/toffee with some burnt sugar at the base. Lots of tart cherries and some funk on top of that making the biggest impression. Hints of red wine, raspberry, plenty of wood, bourbon on the fringes - a bit hard to identify explicity though.

T - Hmm, not nearly as assertive as I expected based on the aroma. Not lacking flavor, but everything is a click down from the aroma. Cherries give the biggest impression - tart, sweet, fruity/juicy and at the front of the flavor profile. Overall tartness beyond the fruit, but stays at a somewhat mild and controlled level compared to other cherry forward wild ales. Sugary sweetness mixed with other fruity aspects - berry, raspberry specifically with other contributions for sure. Bourbon is extremely mild and low in flavor mostly showing a creamy vanilla flavor on the finish. For a beer so black in color, roast is practically non-existent.

F - A thinnish medium body with a low, unobtrusive carbonation that shows only a slow pulse of life. Bourbon barrel contribution is very mild, but shows mostly in feel for me. After the swallow, and with a little bit of concentration, a mild bourbon flavor and booziness along with a nice hit of vanilla appear on the exhale almost wafting through the air more than appearing in liquid form. This could easily be missed without a prior knowledge and focus on looking for a bourbon presence, but finding it is pretty rewarding in the overall experience of this beer.

O - Overall, by no means a perfect beer, but certainly a very enjoyable wild ale. Lots of little nuances which makes the drinking experience fun as you search for flavors and the proper description of them. Haven't had much of Wicked Weed yet, but have really liked the initial offerings - glad I have several other examples waiting to be tasted.

Pours dark brown with a slight crimson hue and a thin light tan head that dissipates
Quickly. Smell has a deep acidic sour aroma and a large oak wood presence right up front. Some light sour dark cherry aroma follows with some hints of vanilla tannin and a slight toffee malt that is somewhat hard to detect through all the acidity. Taste follows nose with a nice acidic sour flavor forward followed by notes of tart dark cherries, oak, vanilla, vanilla toffee caramel and a slight bourbon presence in the finish. Lift crisp refreshing, medium to high carbonation.

Bottle share at Proof. Very very deep brown with light chocolate colored head. Thick collar, some legs, fair lacing. Taste and aroma are of tart cherry, dark roasted malt, and some tart dry yeasty funk. High carbonation and medium body. This reminded me of Tart of Darkness from The Bruery. Very good beer overall.